The Dillon tribune., 1887-11-18
THE 'SAMOANS' FAMOUS DRINK.

THE 'sAMoANs' FAMOUS DRINK. !
HOW tn Beverage Is manufactured. /
Story Told by Il Traveller.
The mode Of living Of Samoans is very
simple, and days pass sometimes without
II Samoan partaking of any hot food.
Cocoanuts, bananas lineapples. yam and
more particularly the bread fruit, once in
IL while some fish and q piece of, hog
especially when it happens to he one of
your white neighbor'> hogs, conclude, the
simple bill OF fare. One Of the greatest
beverages among the Sanoans is '.aya.''
The ava (macrOpiper mehysticum,. Which
grows i'll clusters from six to ten feet in
height, is species of pepper. From its
dried root is made an Intoxicating beycr-
age which, when taken in small doses. is
delightful soportic. 10 drink ava is
all very well If you do not see how it is
manufactured. But if you witness the
process, us did on one occasion. when l
first sampled this native drink, l fee!
assured that your tas1" Tor ava will be
somewhat changed.
While taking Il Stroll over Samoa one
fine afternoon came across Il large num-
bcr OF Apians, men and women, who wer..
sitting on the ground around one of the
native hnts. apparently engaged in some
very interesting work. Having lost my
way and being anxious to >cc all there
was to be seen, I approached the crowd,
greeted my friends with ''Kalloffah,'
and. with ri the Samoan at my COM
! mand, explained my crrand. The natives
treated me very kindly and ut once i'll
| yited me to take I; seat in their family
circle, Offering me the best place. between
two charming. Young girls. who wore
, nothing in the shape of dress; but the
! usual 'lahpahlahlmh noticed that III!
the women and young girls We're engaged
in chewing at Il root, while on their laps,
rested small cocoau,,t bowls, which I
! took t. he spittoon:,, as they allowed the
juice OF the roots to drop into the bowls.
| In the center OF the circle stood . larger
bowl. and whenever any Of the women!
l,a>l ch"Yel enough OF Inc root she would
empty The contents Of her bowl into the
larger one. watched these proceedings
with great astonishnlent, and could not
imagine to what end these damsels exer.
ciscd their jaws on those gray roots.
After the bowl j., The center had been
about half filled with this brownish fluid
some lines and oranges were produced
and mixed with the rest, and the milk o.
y number of cocoanuts added to the Who'll,
completed the SanGtus' famous drink
called ''ava'' To soc it's manufacture
was bad enough. but now came the hard
est part. was supposed tn drink tlli:
stuff. ] was at 4 loss what to do.
knew that il I refused to parlakc woult
be insulting my host. l tried to make
believe that was not thirsty. but this die
not seem to work Il, all. and 10 my gree;
horror was offered the first drink "tte
. the mixture h,ul been pronounced by tn
Oldest chief prescn: to be all right. VI.
!, fair neighbor tn the right offered me quit
; q large bowl filled 10 the bri,n with av,
and had to !nrtakc. ! look Il sip am
tried to return the balance because ] di
: not like its pcppcry taste, but IL was Ii
90. had to 1i,lisl 1t was all that III
,, life was worth. l managed to ge
: through as best could, and washed tn
whole down with some cocoanut milk.
: afterward learned that had refused
drink with my Samoan friends certainl
would have been compelled to quit the
: presence in disgrace. Gus. {. Roedcr /
. New York World.